'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3': Hunt on to find a replacement director

Director James Gunn arrives at the premiere of his film "Super" in Hollywood, California March 21, 2011.
Reuters/Fred Prouser

Disney is reportedly not keen on rehiring James Gunn, and that means they will have to find a replacement quickly to helm “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Marvel already has a lot of talented directors it can use, but the studio executives are reportedly considering someone from the outside to direct the upcoming film.

Gunn got into trouble after some of his old posts on Twitter about rape and paedophilia were used to attack him. The director has since apologised for these comments, and said that he is a changed man now. He made those comments a decade ago, before even starting work on his highly successful “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.

Many of the actors in Marvel that Gunn has worked with have expressed their support for the director, and hope that he will be taken back. According to a report by Variety, Disney may not be convinced.

Disney is reportedly not in a hurry to find a replacement. According to a few insider sources, they are going to wait until the right A-list director comes along. The film was originally supposed to be released in February 2019, but given this director problem, they may postpone it.

Marvel directors Jon Favreau, Taika Waititi, and the Russo brothers may not get to helm Gunn’s film. These directors already have other projects that they are working on, so it will not be possible for them to spare the time.

The report also notes that finding a replacement won’t be easy because Gunn was able to get the tone just right for his films. He is not only the director of these films, but also the scriptwriter.

Gunn recently delivered the first draft of the script for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” It remains to be seen if the new director will improvise this script or write a new one.